Forging blade blanks
Jan 6, 2008 16:47:01 GMT
Post by Matt993f.o.d on Jan 6, 2008 16:47:01 GMT
I have been researching blade making, and have a few questions relating to the problems that may be encountered when forging a blade blank (either knives or swords).
-The steel, if burnt, is obviously useless for a blade. If you burn the blank when heating, can it be fixed if the pasty burnt metal is simply filed from the surface of the blade blank, when finished? Or does overheating wreck the steel all the way through?
-I have read that tool steel likes to be worked as hot as possible when blademaking, and that cold forging a blade blank is a really easy way of introducing stress points that may ruin a blade which is being heat treated. Conversly, I have also read that forging tool steel whilst too hot can easily cause stress cracks. Which is more important to avoid, as this seems to contradict itself.
-Blade blanks must be forged in as few a number of 'heats' as possible, according to the webmaster of www.anvilfire.com , as steel is lost by 'scaling', and carbon may be gained or lost from the surface of the steel. How much of an issue is this? If the surface layer of steel gains or loses carbon, can the blade be redeemed by just removing this excess when grinding the final blade shape?
As a side note, I noticed when forging my forks at my blacksmithing course that the final finish of my own work was rougher than my fathers. I blame this scaling problem, as I used far more heats than necessary, in retrospect. I had to do a little more adjustment than everyone else, as I accidentally made one prong thicker than the other.
Sadly, my attempts to secure on-the-job training have not panned out. Craftspeople, it seems, cannot afford to teach apprentices, since it would cost them far more than the returns they may get from the work I could do for them. The reason for these questions, therefore, is that I am forced to teach myself for now, once I get a forge. I cannot join a professional course until the start of the next academic year (september). I cannot afford to take regular individual courses.
The answer is, therefore, to get some books, do some reading, get a forge and practice simple things on my nice new anvil. I plan to make a few simple tools, some simple decorative and functional bric-a-brac and then try my hand at very basic blademaking. I was thinking about making a few mild steel letter openers before trying my hand at making proper knives from more expensive steel. If a few of the more learned forumites could perhaps suggest a syllabus of making for me, that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
-The steel, if burnt, is obviously useless for a blade. If you burn the blank when heating, can it be fixed if the pasty burnt metal is simply filed from the surface of the blade blank, when finished? Or does overheating wreck the steel all the way through?
-I have read that tool steel likes to be worked as hot as possible when blademaking, and that cold forging a blade blank is a really easy way of introducing stress points that may ruin a blade which is being heat treated. Conversly, I have also read that forging tool steel whilst too hot can easily cause stress cracks. Which is more important to avoid, as this seems to contradict itself.
-Blade blanks must be forged in as few a number of 'heats' as possible, according to the webmaster of www.anvilfire.com , as steel is lost by 'scaling', and carbon may be gained or lost from the surface of the steel. How much of an issue is this? If the surface layer of steel gains or loses carbon, can the blade be redeemed by just removing this excess when grinding the final blade shape?
As a side note, I noticed when forging my forks at my blacksmithing course that the final finish of my own work was rougher than my fathers. I blame this scaling problem, as I used far more heats than necessary, in retrospect. I had to do a little more adjustment than everyone else, as I accidentally made one prong thicker than the other.
Sadly, my attempts to secure on-the-job training have not panned out. Craftspeople, it seems, cannot afford to teach apprentices, since it would cost them far more than the returns they may get from the work I could do for them. The reason for these questions, therefore, is that I am forced to teach myself for now, once I get a forge. I cannot join a professional course until the start of the next academic year (september). I cannot afford to take regular individual courses.
The answer is, therefore, to get some books, do some reading, get a forge and practice simple things on my nice new anvil. I plan to make a few simple tools, some simple decorative and functional bric-a-brac and then try my hand at very basic blademaking. I was thinking about making a few mild steel letter openers before trying my hand at making proper knives from more expensive steel. If a few of the more learned forumites could perhaps suggest a syllabus of making for me, that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!